[LAU] pro gear that runs embedded linux...

Nick Copeland nickycopeland at hotmail.com
Thu Sep 5 18:49:48 UTC 2013


The world of commercial/enterprise networking and security products is rife with applications running under Linux on badged appliances. There are thousands of them and some very successfulcompanies have basically just sold FOSS software on rack-mount Linux boxes under their ownname - Barracuda and Fortinet both started out this way but even the likes of CheckPoint, Ciscoand many others are also doing exactly the same, albeit some with their own enhancements.
Will 'Linux Inside' ever become a respected badge? No.
It is worth noting that about 10 years ago there was a big shift when people started to recognisethat Linux/FOSS software was actually a lot more trustworthy than closed source - it was aroundthe time that BIND, Apache, Tomcat, Postgress and all the other apps started running the internet,they were without much contest far better than the closed source equivalents.
That period is close to over since these apps are now being delivered in commercial products, theconcept of 'powered by linux' is no longer really of relevance. It is just there, we use it and why should we really care?
The bigger move at the moment is the slow, death by a thousand cuts that is happening to MS.Smartphone, tablets, fridges, microwave, phablets are now all running some version of Unix, bethat thanks to google, apple or embedded systems.
MS can fight to keep the desktop - they don't have much action that suggest they really willplay in other spaces but that is not going to be a benefit for Linux as such: The concept that youare using linux is now irrelevant. We here might be using it and be proud of it on LAU and LAD butthe far vaster majority of happy users have it on their android phones (and Apple i* (tm) gear, this is after all just Unix) and don't really give a monkeys uncle what it is, as long as it does what theywant. MS has not got their head around that yet but finally, and correctly, the OS is no longerof much significance in most market segments
Penguin under the hood? Who cares? What the product does might be enabled by the OS and Unixhas become that OS but it is totally irrelevant with respect to the capabilities of the product itself - the OS is the petrol, diesel or LPG that you put in your car, the car is what you are reallyinterested in. As I said, this might not be the case on LAU/LAD so this might be a little OT.
Regards, nick.
"at the end of the day its nil nil at half time”.
Trevor Brooking


> Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2013 20:15:43 +0200
> From: nettings at stackingdwarves.net
> To: linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org
> Subject: [LAU] pro gear that runs embedded linux...
> 
> hi guys!
> 
> 
> i'm sure you all have seen your share of professional audio, video, and 
> lighting gear that apparently runs embedded linux but never mentions it 
> much (unless you happen upon the briefly flashing penguins immediately 
> after booting)...
> 
> i just came across the midas pro2 (which i have to learn for an upcoming 
> job), and lo and behold, in the manual, midas saith:
> "The PRO2 uses the reliable Linux operating system."
> 
> not exactly in the brochure afaict, but in the very prominent first 
> section of the manual. :)
> 
> other expensive boxes i've seen and used which appear to be running linux:
> 
> * Allen & Heath iLive and GLD series audio mixers
> * LAWO mc² series of audio mixers
> * grandMA2 series of lighting controllers
> * the DirectOut M.1k2 16x16 MADI router
> 
> none of these make a secret out of their OS, but it doesn't seem to be 
> an advertising item, either. is it because people are generally 
> disinterested in and/or frightened by the fact that their gear has to 
> have some sort of operating system inside? i wonder if we'll live to see 
> the day where "linux inside" is a hot marketing punchline.
> 
> i wonder if you guys have seen other pro gear whose data gets shuffled 
> around by industrious yet unseen penguins under the hood?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jörn Nettingsmeier
> Lortzingstr. 11, 45128 Essen, Tel. +49 177 7937487
> 
> Meister für Veranstaltungstechnik (Bühne/Studio)
> Tonmeister VDT
> 
> http://stackingdwarves.net
> 
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